I was so excited to attend Little Winter this past weekend in Portland, Oregon! My good friend Heather and her husband moved to Portland a couple of years ago, and I had not had a chance to visit them since their move. When Abby announced Little Winter back in June, Heather and I decided it would be the perfect excuse for me to visit her in her new home town, and for us to support the work of some of our favorite bloggers and makers. I was a little apprehensive when we walked into The Cleaners on Saturday. The worlds colliding feeling of seeing faces that were so familiar to me but whom I had never met was, at first, overwhelming. I was anxious to make a good impression on the women whose words, art, and clothing have been an important and inspiring part of my life for several years. When Anabela and Elly each gave me a big hug, their warmth and easy going natures set me totally at ease. I had the best time, and was thrilled to meet and talk with my “Flickr friends” in real life. Everyone was so nice and gracious; it was an awesome atmosphere.

I bought some beautiful things, including Geoff’s precisely rendered Dream Cat’s calendar (one of the cats is the spitting image of Ollie as a kitten!); Elly’s Orchard House dress (I cannot resist a sailor dress, and a red one at that! This was one of my favorite pieces from Elly and Jenny’s collaboration on the Fall 2008 Wiksten collection and I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw it on the Garment House rack!); and a deer wall decal from Shanna Murray (it will be so much fun to have a bit of Vermont in New York!). Anabela also gave me the sweetest gift; a print of two photos she had taken in the Algarve, Portugal, a place we have both traveled and loved. It was a pretty perfect day and it meant a lot to me to have this rare opportunity to spend time with some fantastically talented women (and one of my very best friends!).

This is the front street of my house! it's time for Jacanranda Blossom,a native tree from South Africa. This photo was taken yesterday afternoon.

I just love to see them so much... i am quite lucky that i stay in the suburb with a lot of Jacaranda trees. Each year November, my front street will be covered with all these purple flowers... they are amazing!!